


DamiRae Oneshots

by Jaseen_Mahari



Category: Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)
Genre: DamiRae - Freeform, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Oneshot Series, Sweet, lovebirds, oneshots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:34:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23072536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaseen_Mahari/pseuds/Jaseen_Mahari
Summary: Just a series of Damirae oneshots, including between Justice League vs Teen Titans and Teen Titans: Judas Contract , as well as beyond Judas Contract. Repost from my FF account.
Relationships: Raven/Damian Wayne
Comments: 4
Kudos: 120





	1. On the Rooftop

So there he stood, on the roof of the tower. In his hands, the shadow of the man that had brought so much pain. He stared at the mask, and it stared straight back at him as if there was some life left in it. He could almost picture his face behind the mask, and the voice that brought a flood of anger and pain within him. The voice of his nightmares. Slade is dead, but not gone, the mask keeps his existence alive. Damian wanted nothing more than to be free from him, to simply let go of the mask, to let it fall over the edge of the tower, never to be seen again. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was afraid, more than he would admit. It wasn't letting go that scared him, it was what came after. To be free from what had governed over his life for so long, and then what? Could he just move on? No more was he bound to Ra's and the League, no more was he bound to his father, and no longer would he be bound to Slade. All that is left of him is Damian Wayne. Who is Damian Wayne? He didn't know, and that's what scared him most.

"He's gone, you know." The empath's voice alerted him of her presence. He turned to see her by his side, cloak drawn around her figure, her eyes on the mask.

"I know" was his simple reply. A moment of silence passed.

"Damian" she called, diverting his concentration from the mask. She turned to face him and opened her cloak, revealing a black puppy. To say he was confused would be an understatement. He raised an eyebrow. She understood his confused demeanor.

"Your obsession over Slade has brought you nothing but pain and anger. Now that he's gone, you need something else to focus on, some other purpose in your life" she explained to him. "This time, it should bring peace, maybe even happiness" she said, referring to the puppy. "But rather than having to get angry all the time, it requires you to care. It requires you to be you." She handed the Great Dane over to him, which he held in his arms, and in his hands he clutched onto the mask.

"I guess" he replied, now sitting on the ledge, his legs hanging off the side of the tower. He shifted his gaze from the puppy to Raven, who had also sat down beside him. "But what if after all this time, I've lost myself to my anger. Raven, what if Damian Wayne doesn't no longer exists, just an empty shell? Or what if I don't what to find out what he's like?" His fears were out in the open now.

She looked at him with kind eyes. Those rich pools of amethyst always made him lose his thoughts, made his heart beat a little faster and on the rare occasion would cause a heat to rise to his cheeks. The only time he would like to be lot would be in her eyes. "Damian Wayne does exist, and he's sitting right here beside me. Not the grandson of Ra's Al Ghul and heir to the League of Assassins, Not the son of Batman, and not the mortal enemy of Slade, but Damian Wayne." She continued with a small smile "I've gotten to know him recently, and you should to. Besides, in my opinion, he's not half bad."

Sometimes it amazes him, how well she knew his thoughts, how she always knew what to say. Although it might have something to do with her being an empath, and the mental connection they shared, he couldn't help but believe it was because of how well they had gotten to know each other. Over the past year that he had been with the titans, he felt that they had become closer. Their regular conversations and playful banter could attest to that. He certainly felt more comfortable around her, more open with her. She was the closest friend he had, and considering her tendency to isolate herself from others, he knew that he was closer to her than any of the other titans. They were without a doubt best friends...

His thoughts were silenced by the warmth of Raven's lips on his cheek.

...And then some more he mentally added, thinking back to on a few weeks ago on the rooftop where the sky was dark save for the light of the heavenly celestial bodies, where the moon bathed her in a light, giving her skin an angelic and ethereal glow, and how the stars in the clear night sky above could not compare to the beauty of her amethyst eyes. He remembers how deeper feelings were brought to light, and how the feelings were reciprocated. And how it was to be kept a secret from the others. And the kiss...

"What do you want to name him?" Raven asked, snapping the teen out of his thoughts before his blush could progress any further.

"You haven't given him a name yet?"

"He's yours, so you get to decide."

"Don't tell me I have to take care of him by myself." He added with a smirk.

"I'll help, but you'll be held accountable for anything he does." She replied with a smirk of her own. "So, what do you think?" She asked, looking at the Great Dane which was now in Damian's lap.

Damian looked at the puppy with it's large eyes and oversized ears. He pondered for a moment in silence. "Titus." He replied, after some time. "His name is Titus."

"Titus" the girl echoed. "Not bad."

"Why, did you doubt my naming skills?"

"Anything outside slicing people in half isn't exactly part of your skill-set, Damian." retorted the empath.

"Real funny Raven" the boy replied, wrapping his arm around the girl's shoulders. He smiled, content with himself and what they had. Raven's only reply was to rest her head on Damian's shoulder with a smile of her own. Only silence followed thereafter. He hadn't even realised when he had dropped the mask, which lay somewhere far below, forgotten. So there they sat, content in their loving embrace, ready to move onward to the future, together.


	2. Training

That's how she found him, slicing through the holograms that simulated a group of enemies. While he was outnumbered by a good amount, it seemed as though he had no trouble dealing with them, one by one in a systematic manner. It seemed almost too easy for him. Knowing how high the boy's stamina was, Raven assumed that he had been training like this for the better part of an hour seeing that the day what barely begun, and believed that he would continue to do so for another hour or so. However, what was slightly perplexing was why he insisted that he practiced against the simulator, when it was too easy to be of any use. Making her way to the edge of the simulated battleground, she decided to confront him on this issue.

"Morning Damian"

The boy in question paused his actions and shut down the simulator. Walking over to her, Damian greeting the girl.

"Morning, Raven. Do you need anything?"

"Not anything in particular." Replied the empath. "Just decided to see what you were doing. Unsurprisingly, it seems you're training, even this early in the morning."

"Wouldn't call it real training though, for such advanced tech it still feels fake, you can tell how they're just algorithms making decisions based on positioning, nothing more. Doesn't feel real. It doesn't quite compare to the challenge when actually fighting someone."

"Then why don't you spar with any of us instead?"

"The fact that I'm the only member of the team that's technically normal-"

"I would seriously reconsider the term 'normal' when it comes to describing you" Raven interrupted with a small smirk.

" _Haha real funny, Raven._ Anyway, as I was saying, the fact that I am the only one without powers means I can't exactly fight one-on-one against any of you. Of course with Grayson was the only exception, when he was here-"

" _Awww_ , you miss him, that's adorable." The empath's smirk had only grown. She could visibly see the boy's irritation. After a short while, Damian spoke again.

"Can I continue?" Raven nodded her head in approval. "Thank you. Now, there's also the fact that if I were to participate in hand-to-hand combat with any of you, I would have an unfair advantage." He explained.

A moment of silence passed.

This time with seriousness, Raven questioned the boy.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Excuse me?" Replied the young Wayne.

"Are you sure?" She repeated, this time with a fairly sizable smirk, "Are you sure, just because we don't have to rely so much on hand-to-hand that we are incapable of holding our own?"

"I didn't mean to-"

"Let's spar, right now, just you and me. I won't use any powers, ok? After all, you are the expert on combat, so what could happen? Do we have a deal?"

At the mention of a challenge, Damian's confidence seemed to return to him, the burning fire of competitiveness within him had been rekindled and was know alight.

"Deal. First to successfully pin down the other for ten seconds wins."

"Why? Too tired to actually fight?"

"Just so I can win quicker." Damian retorted.

"You never know Damian, you might just be surprised."

"Whatever, let's get start-" he stopped speaking at the sight of Raven removing her cloak and letting it drop to the floor beneath her, revealing her perfect figure to Damian. He could feel his cheeks begin to heat up. _God's she's beautiful_ he thought. His heart began to beat a little faster, and breathing seemed to become a bit difficult. _Great, haven't even moved a muscle and already I'm out of breath._

"So, you ready?" she asked in a challenging tone,as if she were oblivious to the effect she was having on him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I...uh."he took a breath. "Yeah, I'm ready." He replied. "We'll start in 3,2,1, go."

They began to spar, not throwing any dangerous hits at each other, just focusing on pinning the other and not trying to get pinned themselves. Whilst Damian would normally have had the upper hand, his mind was still a bit slow from what had happened just prior, and was currently distracted by her stunning body, which was no longer hidden behind her cloak. He was a teenager, after all.

After a few minutes of well-natured sparring, Damian had finally gotten his mind back in the game, and decided to end it once and for all. He feinted to the side, the false movement making raven lose some balance, and finishing it off by sweeping out her legs from beneath her. She had landed on her back, and Damian pinned her shoulders to the floor.

"Looks like I win" He declared with a smirk. Only when he realised that Raven wasn't attempting to break free, and instead had a smirk of her own did he realise that something was up. But it was too late.

Suddenly, Raven grabbed the front of his uniform and pulled him down into a deep kiss.

Blank. His mind was totally and utterly blank. _Sometimes he hated how her kisses did that to him..._

If his mind were to be operating at an acceptable level, he would have realised that Raven had switched their positions, her now on top and straddling his hips, without breaking from the kiss, he would have noticed that he had his arms around Raven, and that he was kissing her back with as much passion, and how he could not bring himself to stop. He also would have realised that time was passing by.

As suddenly as she had started the kiss, she pulled away with, of course, a smirk on her face.

"Ten seconds is over, well was over about two minutes ago. Looks like _I win_."

And with that, she stood up and walked over to where her cloak lay on the ground and putting it on. As she was leaving the room she paused, turning her head partially back to where Damian was.

"See you at breakfast." She said, before leaving the room.

And that's how she left him, sitting on the floor of the training room wondering what the hell just happened.

Damian just had one coherent thought before getting up and leaving the simulation room.

_Damn it, my girlfriend can be such a tease._


	3. Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a morning person at all, so I decided to write this chapter.

Mornings. Morning showers, morning walk, morning coffee, morning breath, morning _oh-crap-got-a-test-today-and-I-haven't-studied_ or _morning-already?-I-just-fell-asleep_ or a lazy _I'm-gonna-sleep-in_ morning. However as Raven greeted Damian that day, she realised that from his sluggish movements and fatigued speech and expressions that the boy had one of those _couldn't-sleep-so-I-decided-to-go-on-patrol-the-entire-night-and-just-came-back-from-stopping-an-armed-bank-robbery-involving-hostages-and-busting-a-drug-trade-and-preventing-innocent-civilians-from-getting-assaulted-by-criminals-and-now-I'm-so-tired-I-can-barely-walk-but-won't-admit-it-to-anyone-cause-I'm-Damian_ type of mornings. And she was not happy, not at all by his lack of care over his own health.

As she made some tea for herself she observed Damian attempting to pour himself some coffee. Well attempting, struggling and ultimately failing, missing his cup and instead pouring the hot beverage onto the kitchen floor. It seemed Damian hadn't even realised what was happening, as he just stood there, expressionless and motionless, still pouring the coffee on the floor.

With a heavy sigh, the empath walked over to the overly-tired titan and took the coffee pot from his grasp and placing it on the kitchen countertop, away from his reach. As soon as she had done so, Damian jolted back into consciousness, as if he were a dead corpse that had suddenly been reanimated. Only then did he realise the mess he had made, and searched for something to clean it up with as Raven just watched on with a raised eyebrow, not even sure if the boy had registered her presence. Eventually, he had given up his search and decided to remove his cape to clean up the coffee spill.

Raven just facepalmed. _Seriously Damian?_

"Damian?" No response. She tried again.

"Damian?" Again no response.

"DAMIAN!" This time the boy jolted upwards, now facing her. She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him over to the common room.

"Are you OK?" Yet again, no response. He just continued staring at her blankly. She tried waving her hand in front of his face to gauge his reaction, but there was none. With another sigh, she just pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping to alleviate some of the stress this as causing her.

"Damian" she called with annoyance, not even bothering to look up, still pinching the bridge of her nose. No response.

"Damian" she called, this time with even more annoyance. The only response she received was some mumbling. Now annoyance had become anger, bubbling inside of her. I've had it with this boy.

And without so much of a second thought, she slapped him across the face. Hard.

"Owww!...that hurt." Damian had finally regained most of his conscious functionality. The first thought his mind could process was _Warning: angry girlfriend ahead. Approach with caution._

"A Miracle! It speaks!" Raven remarked, still furious.

"I-"

"NO" the empath interrupted. "Before you say anything else, I want to know why you would patrol all night! Why you would have gone without sleep all night when it would clearly be detrimental to your body for no worthwhile reason! How could you not care about your own health, cause clearly sleep deprivation is affecting you worse than you think it is. I'm just trying to look out for your wellbeing you know? I don't some stupid excuse on why you HAD to go on patrol ALL night. Now tell me, Why?!" Her anger hadn't settled down even the slightest.

Damian just stared, and blinked. Raven was about to explode.

But before she could get a word out, he started to speak.

"I...didn't... go on patrol" he said with some effort, attempting to speak despite his tiredness. "I just... I couldn't sleep... had a... nightmare."

"Oh..." Was all Raven could manage. Her anger had quelled and was now replaced with sympathy for Damian, as well as some guilt and remorse for the way she had treated him earlier. She could no longer look at him in the eyes and had instead opted to shift her gaze to the floor near his feet.

"I'm sorry, for yelling, and hitting you earlier." No response from Damian, at least not verbally. Instead, without a word had grabbed her by the wrist, causing her to give a small yelp, and brought her to the couch. Raven had sat down and Damian had laid down with his head in her lap.

"It's fine... I forgive you." He said, snuggling into her stomach and falling into a deep and peaceful slumber. She was thankful that no one else was around to see the blush on her face. Instead, she just ran her fingers through his hair as he slept with a small smile adorning her face, reminiscing on not only the events of this morning, but also their relationship with each other and how it has come to grow and blossom into something admirable.

_Mornings are strange._


	4. Late Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-relationship, set before the other chapters. Also includes a cameo from our favourite Nightwing.

It seemed as though he was alone in the vast tower at this hour of night - or perhaps early morning, either way the building was enshrouded by a quiet darkness, and the gentle hum of automatic electronics filled the inside of his new home as he walked down the corridor. For what purpose, what was his aim? Nothing in particular, Damian just needed to distract his mind from the 'bad dream' that had awoken him from his sleep.

As he made his way to the living room, he could hear faint breathing, and the flick of a page in a book being turned alerted him to the presence of someone else. Now, this was an annoyance, for all he wanted was to be alone, to clear his head from the nerve-wracking images he had seen in what he was now willing to admit to himself- his nightmare. Who was this intruder of his moment of relaxation? Well, it turns out that they were a friend, not an annoyance. Since Kori likes her beauty sleep, Grayson only checks crime reports on computers, Jaime uses his laptop and Garfield is on his phone every two seconds, the only person who would actually pick up a book, other than himself, was the towers resident empath.

He was proved right when he had been greeted by the sight of Raven sitting on the couch with a large novel in her hands, one not deemed as a light read in any regard. Knowing how close friends they were, he approached her without hesitation and sat down on the comfortable sofa beside her. Realising that she was not alone in the room, Raven turned her head to look at the one who had disturbed her, only to be greeted by a friendly, although tired smile that adorned Damian's features, truly a rare sight.

"What are you doing up so late Damian?"

"Well, I could ask you the same question." She couldn't help but give a small chuckle.

"Couldn't sleep, so I decided to come here and read. Now it's your turn, why are you up at this hour?" She replied with a playful tone, something she had been doing far more often now, especially with Damian, a product of their friendship no doubt, which simply goes to show how close to one another they were.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream, couldn't sleep, so I came down here."

"Do you want to talk about it?" There it was again, this open caring and concern for others was another one of the changes she had recently seen. However she also noticed that she reserved this mostly for Kori, who she views as a mother figure, and her best friend, Damian. That's not to say she didn't care about the others, they were after all her family, and she did care for them, but just didn't show it on the outside as much.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Was his swift reply.

"It's okay, I understand." And as he looked into her eyes, Damian new that she truly did, whether it be due to her own fair share of nightmares or because of their newfound friendship. Understanding, that's what it was, they just understood one another so well. Raven had seemed to have so much understanding for him, and for that he was grateful. Grateful, never before would he have thought that he would be grateful to anyone for anything, but here he has being grateful that she understood him, that she helped him find himself, that no matter how many times he had tried to ignore her, she persisted in getting to know him and getting him to relax.

Silence took over once again, with Raven reading and Damian simply sitting, reminiscing on the day beforehand which was filled only with standard missions and patrols, and then began planning on the upcoming day. This soothing silence soon felt lacking, as Damian had nothing left worthwhile to do.

"Sorry to interrupt you Raven, but seeing how interesting that book is, I was wondering if you have a spare copy?"

"Firstly, you need to work on your humour, second, if you were bored, you could have just said so." And with that Damian's expression turned sour, with hint of embarrassment for having been caught out.

Putting the book down, she asked if he had wanted to watch a movie, and he had agreed.

He wasn't paying any real attention to the movie they were watching, he couldn't even remember what the movie was. Instead, he was focusing on battling the sleep that was overcoming him, inviting him to a deep slumber. Why? Because he wanted to savour this moment, snuggled under a blanket with his best friend on the couch, a comfortable silence hanging over them save for the faint sea of sound from the screen, a blur of images form one scene to the next.

Yes, he had grown so close to Raven that these kind of moments had started becoming a common occurrence when the two were alone, yet he still liked to savour them because they felt so precious, timeless and something special. Wasn't it just a few months ago when he had first met her, when he had been so cold to her just as he had been to anyone else? And yet here they were, together as though they've known each other their whole lives. He had been so cold and hostile to everyone then, so distrusting of them for no particular reason, all of them, including Raven. _God, I was such a brat_. It made him feel angry at himself, this anger that was in his chest and wouldn't go away because it was too great to be ignored. Sure, he had changed, and was slowly making amends with the others, but still, the question of _how could I ever have done that_ , done what he had done, yelled what he had yelled and hurt, yes he must have hurt her back then, how could his actions not have? He continued thinking for some time before Raven had spoken, breaking the silence.

"I can sense a wave of emotions coming off you. What's bothering you?" And this time he talked. He told her how he had realised how poorly he had treated hurt, and how badly it angered him now to think he could ever have done that to her, how guilty he felt now. And he kept repeating "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" hoping that it would somehow amend for his past mistakes.

Raven simply replied with kind eyes and a knowing smile, before enveloping him in a warm hug.

"It's okay, the past is the past, the main thing is that you've realised your mistakes and you've changed." She pulled away from the hug, giving him one last reassuring smile before letting the silence overcome them again.

 _How is it_ , Damian thought, _That she always knows how to make me feel so much better?_ It seemed to be another product of their understanding of each other, seeing that he had also comforted her on some occasions. He looked at Raven, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. _It's ironic, the half-demon is as beautiful as an angel._

The thing is, when he explained his troubles to Raven, Damian had left out something, he had left out the latter half of his thoughts. He didn't tell her about this feeling that was starting to come up, every now and then, when he was around her, that slightly quickening heartbeat beating against his chest and the light blush that forms whenever he stared at her, because he had found her to be very attractive indeed. This was something else, something new, something other than friendship. Something deeper, dearer to his heart. He wasn't blind, nor was he ignorant of his feelings. No he knew what it was and he accepted it.

_Maybe one day- one day we could be something more, maybe we will both finally know what it feels like to be loved by someone else. Maybe one day, we could be together._

And with that he finally asleep, not knowing that the girl beside him might just feel the same way.

* * *

Nightwing, seemingly having awoken before the rest of the team, wandered into the living room where the morning sunlight had bathed the room in a soft yellow light. However the scene was only made more picturesque when he discovered the two fellow Titans on the couch - Damian had his arm around Raven, who in turn had rested her head on his shoulder, both of them in a deep and comfortable sleep. Now, Nightwing being the leader that he is, knew how much he should respect their privacy by leaving and making sure no one else sees the two. But, Richard Grayson, being the older brother in the 'bat family' had other plans. So he decided to take a few pictures of, for a lack of other words, the adorable scene in front of him. Besides, Batman would probably want to know how is son is going, right? As he left the room to leave the two in silence, one final thought passed his mind.

_Lovebirds._


	5. Struggles of the Heart pt.1 - Hidden Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't exactly my best work, so I apologise. Hope you enjoy anyways.

Do I know what love feels like? That depends. Have I ever felt loved before? No, I suppose, not to a great extent - I was bred for war, for battle, to lead the league of assassin's, and love isn't really part of the job description. But, there's this feeling, this longing ache in my heart that keeps me up at night, thinking about possibilities of what could be, should she feel the same. There's this desire to protect, not like the way protect civilians in our work as a Titans. No, instead it's a desire to protect her from her own inner demons, even if I haven't been able to control may own just yet. But I know that she helps me do so day by day, even her small, simple yet caring smile can ward off all my troubles. But they can't get rid of this one problem, the need to be with her every minute of the day, just to see her face, her smile, to hear her voice. I feel the need to give back to her all that she's done for me, for saving me from my own demons, for breaking me out of my shell and allowing me to find myself. It's the fact that even though I have never known what it feels like to be loved, being seen by mother and grandfather as only another tool for power, or the fact that most people, my teammates and even she herself at times despises me, I still have this unshakeable feeling in my heart, this unbearable ache. It's the fact that despite all that, I still love Raven, I truly love her, so much that it hurts. If only I could -

"Damian, you still with us?" Raven's question pulls me out of my thoughts, her voice in a hushed whisper.

"Yeah, still here." That's right, I remember now that we're in a mission briefing, with Grayson going over the final details. The rest of the team surround Grayson, paying attention to the details brought up on the monitor whilst Raven and I lean against the far wall, near the doorway. Doesn't seem like anything to be concerned about, fairly standard mission. But still, I should be paying more attention should there be anything in particular to keep in mind, but I just can't seem to keep my head clear over the past few days, I keep losing myself to my thoughts, my feelings. I can't help it.

"Are you sure? You seem... distracted"

"I'm fine." She simply gives a short nod in reply. If only she knew what was really going on, but then again, if she did find out it would probably cause her to think less of me, be disgusted me. It would ruin our friendship, one that had taken so long and had been so difficult to make. In short, if she knew, she could not feel the same, and so everything would be a mess. This struggle is my own, I don't want to lose this feeling, but I can't let it be known, I must keep it hidden, for the sake of our friendship if not anything else.

Rule number 1: never underestimate the enemy. Considering the recent troubles I've been having in suppressing my feelings for Raven, it was only fitting that I had forgotten such a basic rule. Sure, the greatest injury I've suffered so far was – oh wait, that's right, I don't have any. Nevertheless, I could have and should have been more efficient if I could have kept my emotions for the empath under control. And no, the irony does not escape me. The Titans had split up, Raven and I had gone to secure one wing of the base. Unfortunately, said wing included the enemy's armoury. Guess what happens when you give bad guys an unlimited supply of weapons? They become really, really annoying to take out. But now, all was quiet, with a few dozen or so unconscious criminals littering the cold, hard floor. Raven lands on the ground in front of me, having taken care of the last of them, walking over to me right now. Why does her uniform just have to hug her amazing figure so perfectly, highlighting her perfect curves- _NO! Bad thoughts, bad Damian. You shouldn't be thinking of your teammate like that._

"I have to admit, they were tougher than I excepted, and in greater number than I had hoped." She remarks, now standing close by my side. I consider her statement for a moment before agreeing with her, there certainly were a lot of them. Only then I notice that she seems to be breathing heavier than normal, her movements slower and almost fatigued.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a bit worn out from having to deal with so many of them." But despite that, my feelings kick in again, and it takes all my will not to hold her body against mine and allow her to rest and replenish her strength while we sit down right here next to these crates of weapons – to let her rest peacefully in my arms. But I know that she needs to rest when we get back to the tower, but until then I have to keep an eye out to make sure she's okay, and I should try to take care of the majority of any other enemies we encounter. Just then, I begin to hear a faint sound off in the distance, somewhere along the corridor to this armoury.

"Do you hear that?"

"Yeah, I can hear it, seems to be getting closer" she replies, and within a few seconds, we realise that it's the sound of more enemies. I inwardly groan, and from her expression I can guess Raven is feeling the same.

"Great, more bad guys. And here I thought I would be back home in time for dinner" I have to let myself smirk at that. We take our positions, Raven hovering above me whilst I take my katana out, ready to fight the seemly never-ending wave of enemies. But all my resolve fades when a finally see them. It's not the fact that we're both tired, both physically and mentally, it's not the fact that there are literally dozens of them standing in front of us. No, it's this one freakin guy in the middle of all of them, standing in the front row with a God damned minigun. Well shit.

Next thing I know, a purple barrier separates us, just in time to block the barrage of bullets that could have easily killed us. Looking above, I see Raven struggling to maintain the barrier, however it's quickly starting to break thanks to the sheer power of the bullets. _Oh no_. Raven's already wrong out, and now she's straining herself further. Within moments, she could easily lose all her energy and collapse or hurt herself, and then we'd both be dead.

"Raven, you have to stop! Your hurting yourself!"

"I can't" she manages, even under the sheer pressure she's under. "If I stop, we're both toast"

"It's not worth it! We'll find another way-" She doesn't even respond. She's grunting from the amount of strength she's using up, I can visibly see the pain on her face, but gives no indication of stopping. So I try something else, for a change. I decide to go with the truth.

"I just don't want to see you in pain like this" I tell her, almost pleading. This time, she looks at me before replying.

"You're right, it's not worth it." And with that, she projects her soul form towards them, the giant raven sweeping down the corridor, leaving the fifty or so armed men incapacitated before returning to her body. The barrier fades. She starts plummeting towards the ground, but since she wasn't too far from me, I'm able to catch her. Normally when she uses this ability, she can still get up and re-join the fight. But now, she just lays there in my arms, unconscious but thankfully breathing just fine. She might need an entire day or two to recover, either way she's lost a lot of energy, and yet again my feelings surface, urging me to take care of her, to protect her.

Just then, I hear the last thing I want to, more footsteps from the same corridor. _Are you fucking kidding me?!_ With Raven out like this, it makes both her and I vulnerable. So, I do the only thing I could. I called for help.

"Grayson, do you read?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Raven's down, she's lost all her energy but there are more enemies on their way to our location."

"Get out of there, fall back. Take Raven back to the tower so she can rest, otherwise you'll both be in danger. Take my bike if you need to. By the way, that's an order." And with that, the COMM Link cuts out. I realise that normally, I would have argued against an order to retreat, and would have stubbornly fought on because retreat is the same as failure, defeat. But this time, it's different, I can't risk Raven's safety.

Back in the tower, I carry Raven bridal style to her room, before laying her down in her bed. Whilst Raven has pretty much banned anyone else from entering her room, she has allowed me in on occasions to borrow a book from her large personal collection. As I kneel down beside her, I can't help but trace her perfect figure with my eyes, before staring at her face. How is she so beautiful? Her face no longer shows any signs of struggle or pain, but rather peace and replenishing her strength. But now the ache in my heart returns, that longing to be with her, to be more affectionate with her. I want the idea of us to exist so badly. My feelings get the better of me, and I go to kiss her, for even if she doesn't return these feelings, she won't know about it. But, rationality and reason returning, I stop myself at the last minute. It wouldn't be right, even if she is asleep, I can't steal her first kiss just like that. That would be selfish of me. So instead, a place a gently kiss on her cheek before leaving her room, allowing her to rest. I can tell that the other Titans have returned back to the tower from the sound of Garfield's complaints, even from up here.

As I walk down the hallway, I realise that whilst my dream never may be fulfilled, my feelings never reciprocated by the one I love, all that matters is that Raven is safe and happy. That's all that matters, and being best friends if fine with me despite the urge to become something more. I guess, I'll just have to deal with the struggles of the heart on my own.


	6. Struggles of the Heart pt. 2 - Talk to me

He thought he was trained to control his emotions, to suppress them do they wouldn't affect his concentration in battle, but now, he realises that he was simply ignoring them. But this one emotion, this feeling, this ache, he couldn't simply ignore. No, it was too strong, too persistent to simply brush off. Over the months, Raven had helped him ease out of his shell and to allow himself to feel, encouraging him to open up a bit more - but now he has to control the feelings he has for said empath. Why? Because it's for the best. Not so much because it helps him concentrate during fights, no. Instead, he tries to control it because of the ache that he feels every time he speaks to her, knowing that she cannot feel the same. He was a brat, as most would describe him, and she was the beautiful mage. It made no sense, no matter how much she understood him or how close their friendship was, he just knew it, knew it in his heart, that she could never love him the way he loved her.

This feeling was tougher to control than anything else he'd been taught to channel out. It was going to take a whole lot more than simply ignoring the persistent pain in his chest, so he resorted to another technique, one that Raven herself had recommended to him to control his anger. So that's why he had spent the last hour alone in the training room, meditating on the cold polished floor to help clear his mind, no mask, no sword, no distractions. In that hour he could have been training, exercising, scanning media reports, cracking down on crimes, patrolling through the city. Or an hour spent with Raven, perhaps in one of their quiet yet content moments, an hour reading, or watching a movie, or simply spending time together. But no, here he was, meditating. Because, he thought to himself, that otherwise, he might never be able to control this feeling later. Worst case scenario would be that Raven picks up on it, with her being an empath and because of their mental bond. He couldn't risk it, it was too dangerous. It would be a guaranteed loss, loss of their friendship, loss of everything they had built together so far. It would mean losing Raven, or at least losing whatever connection he shared with her. That was not a risk he was going to take.

"Well, looks like you finally took my advice" he opened his eyes, but he didn't need to do so to know who it was. Raven was standing in front of him, with a smile, a rare occurrence except for when the two were together. Her happiness and playful attitude has somewhat reserved for their friendship - and that smile made his heart beat faster every time, it made him realise how much he loved her. No! Stop! Control yourself Damian. He could not risk her finding out. He stood up to leave, after all an hour should be enough. If not, he'll come back later.

"I did. Doubted it would work at first, but I thought I'd give it a chance" he replied with a friendly smile as the pair walked out of the training room, side by side.

"I thought you'd gotten over most of your anger issues." Dammit. That trademark smirk of hers, and that playful tone made his heart swell every time, no matter how accustomed he'd grown to it over the moments they've shared together. However pleasant this feeling was, he had to control it, immediately. If this conversation continued, he believed it wouldn't end too well for him. But in saying that, he would never push her away. Never. He didn't want to treat her the way he treated Garfield or Jaime or Kori or even Grayson. No, just because he had to control his feelings doesn't mean he should treat her like that. After all, they shared a special friendship, one born out of true understanding and trust.

"I did, or at least I hope so. I just have a few things on my mind that's bothering me, nothing more." He said, trying to remain as civil and kind as possible, but his heart was saying something else. The light flutter against his chest had started to become an assault on his ribs, fear and panic seeping through his veins, adrenaline coursing through his blood. This would not be easy.

"You shouldn't suppress your feelings or ignore your troubles. It never works, they always come back." She'd said with seriousness, the joking tone from just moments ago, completely gone. She placed a gentle had on Damian's shoulder, the two now standing in the middle of the corridor, staring into each other's eyes whilst a moment of silence passed. With a kind of caring, true caring, Raven broke the silence. "You should talk about it. Tell me, what's going on?"

"It's nothing." He replied quickly, more dismissively than he would have liked, his tone was laced with unintended anger. Where had that come from?

"Trust me, talking will help, you'll feel much better afterwards. There's nothing to be afraid about."

No, no, no. This can't be happening. Now fear had overcome his thought, a foreign feeling that clouded his thoughts. His mind was racing, heart beating violently against his chest. He needed to get out of here.

"I can handle my own problems myself." His voice had become a vicious scowl, one reserved for other, more annoying and incompetent teammates.

"You shouldn't hide any fears or problems. It won't help with anything." She raised her voice slightly, but still caring, wanting to help. But Damian was too far gone into the depths of panic to respect that.

"I don't need your sympathy"

"Don't avoid the situation, it won't help, just tell me what's going on" He didn't know why, but at that point, he just snapped.

"Is that so? Well then why did you run away from Azarath, then run away from hell, and then tried to run away from us?! Why did you hide the fact that your father was an interdimensional demon lord out to destroy Earth?! And yet here you are telling me to stop avoiding my problems?"

That hurt, really, really, deeply – like an old knife wound that never really healed being viciously torn open. She was shocked, to say the least. How could he say that to her? How could he hurt her like that, bringing up the most painful memories of her life? And to think, he was her best friend, the only friend she could truly trust, the one person in the world who she cared for the most?

An agonising silence hung over the pair, before Damian wordlessly turned around and made his way down the corridor, not showing any essence of remorse, leaving Raven standing there, eyes downcast and pain flooding through her. Before he was too far away, the empath spoke again, softly and weakly.

"I just wanted to help you" No response. Then, the sound of footsteps getting closer. She turned her head up to see Damian walking back towards her, but she could see the scowl on his face, could feel the aura of fury around him. Suffice to say, she was scared, truly scared. It frightened her to see her closest friend so angry, so furious, and directing all that hatred towards her. He was approaching closer and closer, she wanted to back away but her feet remained frozen, stuck to the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to know what he would do with her. She was shaking with fear. Her voice trembled

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I did to hurt you, I didn't mean it, I was just trying to-" Her eyes flew open in shock as she was silenced by a pair of soft, warm lips on hers, only to see Damian was kissing her with a gentleness she hadn't expected of him, and had cupped her face with the same gentleness with his gloved hand that radiated a soothing warmth. She instantly tensed, became as rigid as a board for the entire time, the seconds felt like an eternity, a never-ending moment. She was too shocked to process anything. She felt her face heat up immeasurably, and her heart was pounding thunderously against her chest. Before she could do anything, Damian pulled away as suddenly as he had initiated it. The remnants of the scowl he had earlier were visible, but was... softer, almost dejected. The silence was unbearable, she could hardly breathe.

"I fail to see how talking about THAT problem would help." And with that the assassin turned around and made his way, presumably to his room. But Raven just stood there, too shocked to do anything, barely having processed what had just occurred, one moment he was furious at her and the next moment he was kissing her. Her face adorned a deep crimson blush, her heart beating madly against her rib cage, practically unable to breathe. At last, one thought came to her. Oh. So that's what it was.

Meanwhile, Damian had found himself on top some building in the city, overlooking the pier. The cool evening breeze strikes the skin on his face, now naked without the mask to conceal it. The azure haze of the sky -not quite night just yet- was being illuminated by the golden lights of street lamps and homes and buildings of in the distance like little fireflies against the vastness of the darkening sky. One such firefly in particular draws his attention, a 'T' shaped tower off in the distance, resting on a small island – an island that he had begun to call home over the past few months. It was his home, the first place that he could really call his home - it was the first time he felt that he was wanted rather than being stored or sheltered. It was there, for the first time, that someone truly cared about Damian. It was there for the first time that he felt invited rather than forced to stay. It was there that, for the first time, he felt that he was part of something worthwhile. It was there that he found love. But what now? His mind thought back to what had happened just prior. Did he really say that? Did he really violate everything that their friendship had meant? Did he really hurt her, bringing back the most painful moments of her life? He remembered now. She was so scared. She was truly terrified, and it was because of him. All because of him. Within the span of five minutes, he had pushed her away, yelled at her, reopened her deepest wounds from her past, and violated her personal feelings by stealing her first kiss. Now she knew. He was so worried before about how she would react, but now, it's all just a mess. Your first kiss was supposed to be something special, something you share with person you care about the most. But for Damian, his first kiss means losing the girl he loves so dearly, losing their bond, their friendship, their understanding, their moments. It means losing Raven. It was not a moment to remember or cherish. No, it was a moment that would ruin everything, did ruin everything that was important to him. It destroyed what was the most important to him. He had hurt Raven, so he knew that she would most likely never even talk to him again, she would either hate him or fear him.

Tears stung his eyes, threatening to spill. He was a fighter, a trained assassin, he was Robin, he was a Titan. He was taught to never cry, for it is the ultimate sign of weakness. But when you lose everything that you care about, why even bother? So he let the tears fall, one by one, each leaving a trace down his face. And then, the dam broke, the floodgates were open. He cried. He cried his heart out, quiet sobs that never seemed to cease, his body shaking uncontrollably, but no one could hear him, not a single soul in this entire city that was teeming with life around every corner. No one cared. No one thought about the cries of the heartbroken youth. Damian was invisible, as he felt he would be forever, it seemed like nothing short of destiny.

He was alone.


	7. A Night to Remember

After checking the time on his phone, Damian decides to check if Raven was ready yet. He knocks on her door in a meticulous and precise manner.

"Who is it" he hears through the door.

"It's me Raven, just wanting to know if you're ready yet. Kori wants us all at the restaurant in half an hour for the 'team bonding'. "

"I am, just give me a moment." A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing Raven. She was wearing a cream coloured dress, which stopped at just past mid-thigh, revealing her beautiful pale, silky skin of her long, slender and well-toned legs. It had an intricate floral pattern in black, stemming from her left hip across to her right shoulder. She wore a tight-fitting dark blue denim jacket, with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows, again revealing her beautiful arms. Her hands were covered by her black, fingerless gloves and she wore brown leather heeled boots that came up to her calves. She looked stunning, Damian couldn't help but stare, he was awe-struck.

"The lighter colours are a nice change. You look beautiful." He remarked, staring up into her eyes – the heels made her seem taller despite being identical in height to himself. He was thankful his voice didn't betray him.

"You don't look too bad yourself" she replied with a smirk. He was wearing a light red, full sleeved button up red shirt that outlined his developed muscles - especially his arms and chiselled chest, and a pair of dark black skinny jeans. Raven quickly silenced the...inappropriate thoughts that came to mind whilst trying to stop herself from staring. Only when she realised that Damian was in the same boat did she calm down, and he seemed to do so as well. They were staring into each other's eyes now, each getting lost in one another. Damian barely registers putting his hands on her hips, and Raven barely notices putting her hands on his shoulders. As they lose themselves in the rich pools in each other's eyes, their faces gravitate towards each other, neither of them realising nor making a conscious effort to do so. The feet become inches, and the inches become millimetres, before finally, their lips meet softly in the middle in a sweet, simple kiss. Riding on the waves of pleasure that courses down their spine and though their bodies, they deepen the kiss. Damian wraps his arms around her slender waist, and Raven has her hands in his hair. But just a few seconds in, they abruptly pull apart, blushing and avoiding eye contact while trying to catch their breaths.

"I'm sorry, my fault" Damian quickly says.

"No, it was both our faults" Raven replies. They stand there in Raven's doorway, the awkward silence growing. At last, Damian clears his throat, breaking the silence.

"We should probably be going now. The others are probably waiting in the garage."

"I agree, let's go." And as such they walked down the corridor in a far more comfortable silence, shoulder to shoulder, hands touching but not holding, the warmth from the simple body contact and closeness was soothing, putting them at ease.

The team arrives at the destination Kori had selected for the 'team bonding'. Somehow, Dick has it in with the owner of the Portuguese restaurant, allowing them to get the top deck – with its beautiful view of the city skyline through the ceiling-to-floor glass windows. The place has a nice atmosphere, the wooden design combined with splashes of red and orange colour scheme, and soft yellow lighting. Clearly the place was intended for socialising, interacting and having fun, having a good time and enjoying yourself. The team sat down at the wooden table, With Damian, Raven and Dick sitting on one side of the table, in that order from left to right. Across from them sits Jaime, Donna, Garfield and Kori in that order, with Kori and Dick sitting across from each other.

Just as Damian and Raven, Raven decides to bump his leg with hers, before looking away as though nothing happened. Damian smirks and bumps back. They continue back and forth for a bit in a playful manner before Dick announces to the group that there will be no talk about their work or missions, as this is team bonding and getting to know each other on a personal level.

"Uhh Dick?"

"Yeah Kori"

"As team leader and the one who proposed this idea in the first place, I was supposed to announce that."

"Oh, sorry." Dick scratches the back of his head as he sits back down. With that, the chatter resumes.

Damian can't help but stare at Raven as she looks through the menu, admiring how beautiful she is. The main thing he notices is the change in her mood, she seems to be far happier, and her smile can attest to that. This happiness, Damian believed that's what made her seem especially beautiful right now. He's been seeing her smile a lot more when they're together, but also with the rest of the team, and it's a pleasant development. Together, over the course of their friendship and their relationship, they've become a lot closer, but also their lives have become a lot happier, they make each other happy. Damian loved that, loved how happy he made her, and how she too made him happy, he was happy that he was with such a beautiful girl, both inside and out. He loved the fact the he loved her beyond measure, beyond anything he thought he was capable of, and the fact that she loved him back.

"There's nothing wrong with staring, now that we're together. Besides, it's not like I haven't caught you doing it before." At this, Damian blushes even harder.

"And why exactly is it that you don't mind?"

"Because, it's cute when you do- lets me know that you find me attractive. Besides, I kinda like the attention." Now she was just teasing. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear starting with "I promise-" By the end of the sentence Damian was left blushing crimson red.

"You should probably wash your face with cold water, you're as red as a tomato." And wordlessly, Damian left to do just that.

It turns out that the reason Kori had picked this restaurant was that, apart from its great food, it seemed that they had a strong belief in sharing all the food with each other, which she thought was fantastic for team bonding. So the food had arrived, and everyone had taken some and started to dig in, just the aroma had made them all want to feast.

"Hey Damian, how's the food?"

"Actually, it's quite enjoyable."

Raven just stared at her boyfriend incredulously. Did he actually admit to liking something? I mean, the food is AMAZING, but still, coming from Damian? At the very least, she would have expected something along the lines of _"the culinary skills of the chef are acceptable, however I believe that Alfred prepare something of higher quality."_ Yeah, that's probably more like Damian. Second, he was smiling, he was happy. Not his trademark smirk, but a genuine smile. That was rare of him, sure, when they were together, he would express his happiness, and she would be treated to one such rare smile, and it made her heart swell to see that she could actually bring him out of the misery and sadness within him ever since they first met. But to see him happy, and laid back in front of everyone like this? The owners of the place promote fun and having a good time and enjoying yourself, but Damian acting like this in front of the rest of the team? What was going on? Now they were staring into each other's eyes, Damian's smile radiating warmth inside her, making her feel...happy. and before she knew it, she was smiling too. His hand had enveloped hers, radiating the soothing warmth from body contact that the pair had relished over the course of their friendship and newfound relationship, whether it be from hugs or cuddling with each other. She realises that the distance between them is closing, neither of them consciously trying to do so. They've never kissed in front of anyone else before, hell, the others don't even know about their relationship, so she was a bit weary, but she couldn't help what was about to happen, all she knew is that it just was. However, before they get close enough for the others to notice what's going on, Raven spots something peculiar. Upon realising what it is, Raven starts uncontrollably giggling.

"Huh? what is it?" Damian asks, not sure what was going on. Raven, still giggling uncontrollably, just points to his cheek. He finds that he has a very noticeable amount of sauce on his cheek. Damian's reaction is priceless, causing Raven to go into uncontrollable laughter, clutching her sides as she did so. Don't be mistaken, Damian loved the sound of her laughter, nothing in the world could make him feel happy than to see her happy, to see her smile, or even hear her laugh - and so seeing her laughing so joyously and freely made his heart soar. But, as Robin and a Titan, he needed to bring justice against her, so with a smirk of his own, he got a fairly large amount of sauce on his finger, and wiped it straight on Raven's nose. All of a sudden, her laughing stopped, and she got a napkin to wipe it off. Now it was Damian's turn to laugh, and she glared at him before swatting his hand away. But on the inside, she has also happy, knowing that he was happy. She'd heard him chuckle, or even laugh, but not with so much mirth and pure joy as he was right now, apart from their night on the rooftop. She cherished his happiness, and seeing him enjoying himself so much made her feel warm and... tingly on the inside.

After some time, Damian's laughter had died down, and the rest of the night continued fairly normally, everyone chatting with each other. But what was surprising was how well both Raven and Damian were talking with the others, and how happy they both were - Damian was even joking with Jaime! And Raven was having a pleasant conversation with Garfield and Donna. At some point, Damian suddenly stood up.

"What is it?"

"I just forgot something back in the van, I'll retrieve it and return back." he replied, giving her a quick peck on the lips before leaving. Raven was left blushing madly - sure, that head kissed on several occasions and it was nothing new to them, but in front of everyone else? No. why was Damian acting so bold with their relationship tonight? She was thankful that no one else noticed. Well no one except Dick.

"That's new. Never seen him do that before, let alone in public." The former leader whispered to her with a smirk. "Care to explain?"

"Honestly, I have no idea what's gotten into him tonight." To say that no one new about their relationship would be a lie. As Kori was closest to the empath, apart from Damian, it was only natural that Raven told her about it. The Tamaranian was so happy she squealed with joy before giving her a crushing hug. Likewise, since Dick was the only other person close to Damian, he too found out, although Raven wasn't sure if the Robin had told Grayson about it himself or if Dick interrogated the information out of the young Wayne. Either way, they both knew about their relationship, and they were supportive of the new couple, offering help and advice if they ever needed it, whilst also respecting the pair's wishes and keeping the news private. They were both grateful for that, however both Damian and Raven could have sworn Dick had mumbled something along the lines of _"Finally, took the lovebirds a while."_

"You might want to keep an eye on him, but I think this change might just be what he needs."

"I agree. But still, it was unexpected."

"I can tell. Any recent developments in your relationship? maybe that could explain it."

"Not really, I mean, we have gotten closer, more open and ... intimate."

"More intimate eh? You two been using protection?" This cause Raven to blush uncontrollably.

"Not...that kind of intimate. I meant...more affectionate." She managed to choke out.

"I know, you two aren't that type. I'm just messing with you. But I know what you mean, more kisses, hugs and cuddling, that kind of sweet romance, right?"

"Right" she affirmed, blush still there but fading. Whilst both Damian and Raven had become more comfortable with such sings of affection, both were too shy and bashful to go any further, so they only went as far as a simple kiss.

"But I don't think it explains why he would be so open in front of everyone else. Also doesn't explain why he's been so happy tonight, I don't need to be an empath to realise."

"I noticed that too. Maybe it's the food. After all, the owners do call it Happiness on a Plate." She chuckled at that.

"I think it got to you too, by the way." He continued.

"Really?"

"Yeah, both of you seem so much happier tonight than ever, I neither of you realised, and the rest of the team were just as oblivious, it seems."

"Oh." And when she thought about it, she realised he was indeed right. She had never felt so...free than she had been tonight. Free to laugh, to smile, to be happy. She was feeling joy, a powerful amount of joy like never before in her life. How could such a simple thing as this restaurant make her feel like this? It must have been the food, there was no other explanation. Either way, she would cherish this feeling, and she deeply hoped that maybe this change in both of them could stay - that this happiness and mirthfulness they made each other feel would be present from here on out. She was taken out of her thoughts by Damian's presence beside her.

"Well you sure took your time. Did you get what you were looking for?" she inquired, now facing him.

"I did" he answered, reaching into his pocket to grab something. "Here, it's for you" He said as he handed her a small box, a light blush adorning his features.

"What is it?" she asked, toying with the small, black box in her hands.

"Take a look" he replied, and she could sense the shyness in his voice. She opened the box, her eyes widening in surprise. Inside was a beautiful necklace, with a simple silver chain, but the highlight was the deep, purple-blue circular gem encased in a ring of silver. Simple, but the crystal was unlike anything she'd seen before - it took her breath away.

"Do you like it?" asked the boy wonder, the shyness still present in his voice.

"Are you kidding, it's beautiful." She said, now looking at him, the pair making eye contact. "But why?"

And at this, Damian turned his head, averting her gaze. "Well... when I saw it, I was reminded of your eyes, how rich and vibrant they are, how beautiful they are, how they're always shining with life and caring and compassion." Silence. "I wanted to make up for everything I've done, for the way I treated you in the past, for hurting you-"

"Damian" She said sternly, cutting him off. "Didn't we already go over this?" The pair were now making eye contact, And Raven took the opportunity to take his hand in hers. "You have nothing to be apologising for. You never did anything wrong, you never hurt me. In fact, you were the one who was hurting on the inside. What matters is now, now that you've changed, now that your happy, now that we're together - that you love me and I love you back. Nothing else matters, so you have nothing to feel guilty about. You understand?"

Damian smiled a little, admiring how caring and gentle she was, and yet firm in helping him get over his bad habits, in correcting his behaviour, such as she did with his anger issues. He nodded, and so Raven relaxed, allowing herself to smile back.

"Anyway, I love it, it's beautiful"

"I'm glad"

"One more question"

He playfully groaned "Another one, what now?"

"Don't worry boy blunder, last one" And this time, Damian groaned for real at the nickname that she's been using lately to tease him. "How much was it?"

Damian's eyes widened for a second, before regaining his composure. "It doesn't matter. Money's not a problem, father pays for all of the team's costs anyways."

"How much?" she replied, far more sternly, showing no intent of giving up until she got an answer.

Damian sighed, knowing it was a battle he would lose. Sure, he himself was stubborn, but he knew that she could be just as stubborn, just one of the ways in which he regarded her as an equal, if not better than him. "Six thousand dollars."

"Six thousand?!"

"It contains an extremely rare gemstone, hence the price despite the simple design." He replied nonchalantly.  
"Six thousand! Am I really worth spending that much on?!" she asked incredulously.

Now it was Damian's turn to be firm. He grabbed her hands, looked directly into her eyes, and spoke with a clear and stern voice.

"Listen to me Raven. Money means nothing. You on the other hand, are worth so much to me. You brought me happiness when all I had was pain. You showed me understanding when everyone else showed me hate. I love you Raven. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met, both inside and out, and that's even after seeing the models father has invited to the mansion. Your happiness and the compassion you show me are worth everything to me, my purpose in life, what I live for. You mean the world and so much more to me. So yes, it was worth it."

Raven was simply awestruck, and even more so in knowing that he had meant every word of it. They had already told each other the common lines "I love you" and "I love you too" and having meant it too. But never before had she heard anything like this, so dense and deep in meaning and feeling, and the strength of his emotions were making her feel a bit light headed.

"Thank you, you have no idea how much it means to me, hearing that from you."

"Uhh, I think I do, I literally just did an entire speech about it." Raven chuckled at his witty humour, but still let the blush appear on her face.

Grayson, whilst being engrossed in conversation with Kori and Donna, had heard the whole exchange between the two lovebirds, but pretended not to notice. _DAMN. Never did I ever expect Dami to be in a relationship, let alone a serious and loving one. Baby brother's growing up so fast, soon he'll be married to Raven, start a family and have two kids before I know it. I think I'm gonna cry._

The pair were back where it all started, standing by Raven's doorway, now far later into the night.

"I had a great time Raven, thank you"

"As did I, it was rather enjoyable"

"Well...good night Raven." Damian turns to return to his room, when all of a sudden, he feels Raven's grip on his arm.

"Not yet..." Raven looks down, inhaling a deep breath, brushing some stray hair from her face before gently pulling Damian into her room, closing the door.

"What are you doing"

"Back at the restaurant, I mad you a promise. As you know, I keep my promises" she explained, blushing slightly.

"What are you talking abou- oh. Oh. That" Now it was his turn to blush. "Uhm, we, ah... I thought you were just joking...I mean...If you don't want to-"

"No, I want to, and I know you do to. Besides, we've been together for a while now, and yet we haven't really gone really far. I mean, it's not like we're doing I'm suggesting doing anything as far as that."

"Right." He said, stepping closer.

"So, should we?" She asked, placing her hands on his shoulders as he put his on her waist.

"I think you already know the answer to that." He replied, closing the inches in a passionate kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and tracing the curve of her back whilst she let her hands entangle themselves in his hair, right back to where they had been before they left, but this time, with no intent of stopping. It was sensational. The electric tingle coursed through their spines as they let the wave of pleasure take over and guide them. They were lost in the euphoric feeling of it all. Before long, the pair found themselves on Raven's bed – Damian on his back with Raven straddling his waist, his hands on her hips. Neither of them had felt such...pleasure before. Damian traced her lips with his tongue, his pleasure-driven self begging for entrance, which she gladly accepted, their tongues tangling in a tango for oral dominance. She tasted heavenly, like a calm, soothing rainy day, washing away all your worries. He tasted amazing, like a fireplace radiating a powerful and yet comforting warmth. The minutes felt like hours as they passed by, and yet neither could bring themselves to stop, until finally their fatigue caught up with them. And so they lay there, Raven snuggling into Damian's chest, a sea of warmth passing between the two, lulling them to sleep.

"By the way, you're welcome to stay the night in my room" She said tiredly

"I thought that was already established when we started" He remarked.

" _Touche_...Damian?"

"Mmm, yeah?"

"This is a night to remember, one I don't think I'll ever forget."

"Likewise." he said with a tired smile, as they both let sleep come over them, lying in a loving embrace.


End file.
